18:15 PM
Armin paced restlessly within the elevator, his fears intensifying as the buildings below gradually shrank. It seemed to him like an eternity. When Jean noticed this, He put a strong hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze, but he himself couldn't deny the dagger-like fear that shot through his chest. The party pushed through a group of troops from the Garrison who had stopped in surprise at the presence of commander Erwin when the elevator ultimately came to a stop.
The Scouts surrounding them automatically ran to their assigned positions, with the cadets running to the other side to gaze toward the castle for any sign of life. Both of them experienced a surge of dread at seeing the flames and rising smoke where they had left their friends only minutes earlier.
"A-Armin, what the hell is going on? The castle's partially destroyed!" Jean stumbled in disbelief.
"I-I don't know! Could there have been a gas leak in the supply room?... Gahhh! This is horrible!" Armin cried out.
"Get a move on! Squads Dirk and Johan provide assistance at the gate; Pull as many of them away from the main route as possible!" The voice of the scout leader could be overheard behind them.
Erwin Smith walked closer to the cadets as he examined the town, observing that most of their lost territory had been swallowed by the shadows cast upon them by the walls and the setting sun. Behind him, both Garrison soldiers and scouts moved to complete their respective jobs, they initially appeared determined and unfazed to Armin, but the closer he looked the more he could discern the subtle hesitance behind this decision. Nevertheless, scouts alway had a tendency to march toward overwhelming danger no matter the odds.
"We don't have much time; the castle is already overrun with titans." Erwin noted, then turned to face his troops. "Attention! I've given the other squadrons orders to break into two groups and surround the target area from both the east and west in search of survivors. Those of us still here will be handling the eastern flank, our goal will be to secure Eren Yeager and evacuate all other personnel." Erwin yelled. "Remember, Eren Yeager could be humanity's only hope for survival! Prioritize his safety first above all else! Members of the scout regiment, dedicate your hearts!" Erwin barked as the soldiers broke out in battle cries.
"Our hearts and souls to the cause!" The scouts yelled in response.
He fixed his focus on the two cadets. "You're both under Corporal Levi's command; follow his orders."
Levi walked up to the two cadets on cue. "Listen well, I don't want any heroics, stay close to our formation at all times. You're here to assist us in identifying Yeager; if you are unable to adhere to basic instructions, we will leave your asses behind. Am I crystal?" He concluded with a fleeting look.
The two cadets tensed as they furiously bobbed their heads up and down. "Yes, sir!" They gave a unified response.
"Then let's go." He gave the order, and the two boys hurriedly followed.
"Armin... Is it just me or does It seem like they're more interested in Eren than the rest of us?" Jean asked.
"Well, given the circumstances..." Armin trailed uncomfortably.
Jean's lips thinned as the two pursued the scouts across the eastern section of the wall before diving below, leaving the joint Garrison and Scout soldiers to deal with the titans at the gate. Rico kept a shrewd gaze on them as an officer walked alongside her.
"So, what changed? I didn't expect you'd let them through." He remarked.
"I'd like to believe In this secret weapon they're speaking about, perhaps It was merely wishful thinking..." With one final comment, she spun on her heels in the opposite direction, unholstered her swords, and started moving for the gate.
"...But It seemed Illogical to allow their sacrifices to go to waste."
6:15 PM
He collapsed to the ground with a swooning head as a murky turmoil erupted all around him. The persisting ringing in his ears nearly drove him insane in the process. He struggled against the constraints of his flesh to return to the battle as his heart raced, releasing a deep groan in response to the numbing pain, only then did he start to notice that he could hear nothing around him. Panic soon set in as his eyes darted around wildly, his throat drying, and his face turning pale with fright.
Mikasa appeared, covered in soot and dust, screaming things he couldn't fully comprehend, pushing the rubble weighing down half of his body before slapping some sense into him. Even so, he managed to settle down and concentrate on her, just picking up whispers of what she said as the ringing perpetually grew louder. She jumped out of sight to god knows where before he could realize it. He drew his focus to the herd of headless chickens scurrying around the courtyard, desperately fending off titans.
There in the middle of all the disarray sat Daz leaning back and forth like a rocking chair, paralyzed from fear and surrendering himself to his fate. Floch fought against the searing pain in his limbs and brought himself to his knees, rising with great effort and nearly tipping forward in the process, limping and wobbling his way to the cadet like the town drunkard.
"Daz..." Floch whispered weakly.
A shadow suddenly enguled the fearful boy as the redhead hurried, using every ounce of strength left in his body, Floch lunged towards Daz and tackled him forward just in time as the carcass of a titan landed where he used to be.
"NO- NO! I CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS! I CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS!" Daz cried out as he reached for his own sword to end himself, Floch reached for it without a second thought.
"DAZ! Aghhk!"
The cadet in question looked to the side through weeping eyes to find none other than Floch lying on top of him. The redhead gripped his arm to stop him from driving the blade into his heart. Daz gaped in horror as he turned to fully face the bloodied Floch. "Daz, grab the keys out of my left breast pocket and free Eren from his cell." Floch's voice came with heavy breathing.
"W-What..." Daz mumbled in confusion.
"Keys. left pocket. Eren. free him. Go, NOW!" Floch, still momentarily deaf from the explosion, read the boy's mouth and then repeated.
Frantic eyes darted up and down before comprehension set in. He nodded, grabbed the keys, and sprinted for the cell, narrowly avoiding being caught in the crossfire. Floch diverted his attention to the pool of blood that was trickling from his palm, scrunching up his face in agony as he tore a piece of his shirt to bandage the wound. The cadet glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw a trail of blood. He followed it to its source and did a double take, stumbling over Samuel's partly eaten corpse. The cadet briefly paused in shock as he absorbed the scene before pulling his eyes away in frustration.
Floch steeled himself and quickly the killed part of him that wished to mourn, now wasn't the ideal time for that. His hearing gradually returned to normal as the ringing came to a halt, Four titans ran wild in the courtyard, with several larger ones peeking over the edge of the castle walls biding their time to strike, spectating the cadets below them like animals at a zoo. He mustered up all of his strength to shout for his comrades, successfully gaining their attention.
"We're being surrounded on multiple fronts, pull back to the entrance of the castle!" He howled at them.
Gordon looked down at the boy in mid-air before changing course to swing towards him, scooping him up off the ground and away from the grasp of the five-meter titan lurking behind him. Gordon received a quick thank-you glance from Floch, he simply grinned in return as they landed by the carriage.
"Floch!" Sandra called out as Gordon handed him over to lean on for support.
"There are too many of them, and the rubble is obstructing the exit!" Marco informed as he kept guard by the carriage.
"Get some people to push this thing inside the main hall It looks like it might fit, we're going to hold there until Eren arrives, there's no other choice." Floch replied.
"Eren, Wha-?" Marco inquired incredulously before realizing what he was getting at. "We need to start pushing now! GORDON! NACK! HELP US!" Marco yelled, motioning for those nearby to assist.
"Sandra, leave me here, and help them..." The girl looked at Floch disbelievingly.
"Are you dumb? It's too risky here, and you're barely able to stand!" She argued as she tightened her hold on him.
"I'll be fine, go." He replied, prying himself from her grip.
She remained motionless, staring at him in shock, before bitterly turning around to join the others in pulling the carriage with the assistance of some of the injured who could, including Louise who had previously hid, he doubted she made much difference.
"Mikasa!"
Floch's head snapped to the courtyard, where he saw the girl in question cutting into one of the few remaining giants. It quickly fell to the ground dead, with large chunks of Its flesh missing, as Mikasa and the other survivors touched down in front of him.
"We're holding here until Eren or the scouts arrive, whichever comes first." He notified as Connie assisted him in withdrawing inside.
"E-Eren?" Mylius worriedly enquired.
"Know anyone else who can turn titan?" Floch responded dryly.
"What about our reinforcements?" Connie asked, causing Floch to squirm from the ache that rose from his ear.
"Nothing as of yet; we are making a last stand, it can't be helped." Floch replied.
Connie's face dropped, discouraged by the news. The cadets cowered inside the main hall as the titans crashed wildly into the castle, chipping away at it to their terror. The hall trembled as it sent Floch and Connie forward by knocking them off-balance. Floch groaned as he rose to his knees and sat upright after noticing a pair of feet. Eren Yeager was standing there when he glanced up, he grinned as a flood of relief washed over him. Eren nodded at him and helped the redhead to his feet.
"I thought I told you to wait 'till the situation cooled down." Floch gave a weak grin.
"And I thought you'd know me better." Eren smirked before the seriousness of the situation returned. "How bad is it?"
"Look around."
Eren was stunned to see that almost all of the comrades he had spent years training with stared at him warily, as though he were a lit fuse. Sasha, who had been huddled with a young girl by the stairs, Connie, who was still laying on the ground looking up at him, Daz, and the others who stood guard, all had their gaze fixed on him.
'They're scared of me... Even now, when we're surrounded by titans...'
"Eren!" Mikasa called out as she ran to his side, bringing him out of his stupor.
"Mikasa! Where is Armin?" His face lit up until he became alarmed when he noticed the blond boy's absence.
"He went out with Jean to get us help, there should be reinforcements here at any second." She informed much to his disbelief.
"What?! You let him out there by himself!?" He exploded in anger.
Most of the cadets began to cry out in terror as the castle continued to tremble once more. Floch and Eren both felt debris land next to them, both inwardly acknowledging that they would have been goners had it inches closer. Floch gently squeezed Eren's shoulder to prompt him to focus on the more crucial matters.
"Armin and Jean can handle themselves. There's extra ODM gear upstairs, I'm gonna get you ready while they push this thing as close to the mess hall as possible." Floch gave the order as Eren calmed down and regained his composure.
Floch narrowed his eyes in rage as he saw two of the warriors standing among the survivors. His anger immediately shifted to concern when he realized there were no indications of Reiner anywhere.
"Those bastards out there ought to deal with someone their own size."
As the first wave of Marleyan reconnaissance approached their coast, hundreds of hooded people concealed themselves over the rocky coasts of Eldia in the cover of the night. Floch's finger tapped anxiously against the side of his musket, questioning what this pathetic weapon could do against such an imposing mass of steel.
But then again, he doubted that ship was any match for their titans.
"You know, I was just thinking how cold Eren must be right now." Connie's voice rang out from his right.
"That was your initial thought, wasn't it? not the big ass ship sailing in our direction, loaded with who knows what? God, you're a moron." Jean exhaled.
"Zip it! I'm way ahead of the curve because I considered that ages ago."
"But you nearly overslept for this expedition, How come?" Sasha cut him off.
"W-what?"
"What?"
"H-Huh?"
"Ehh?"
"You two are idiots." Jean commented.
"Whatever, I don't want to hear it! Man, it still blows my mind that there are people out there; it's crazy, you know?" Connie sighed defeatedly.
"Tell me about it; and just when I thought this titan bullshit was over too. Pfft... what a sick joke." Jean mumbled.
Armin's voice called out to him from further to the right, reminding him of his existence. "Circumstances have changed, and while we no longer have to combat titans, we are no strangers to fighting people too. Our world has just become larger and more complex, but we'll figure it out. If possible, we won't even need to resort to any bloodshed tonight."
Everyone was listening attentively to Armin as Mikasa turned her attention away from the ship on the horizon and looked back at him. The shifter jumped in surprise as if he had accidentally spoken his thoughts out loud.
"Give Yeager the signal; they're nearly in range." A nearby soldier shouted.
His expression softened as he continued. "Having said that, Connie, I'm confident Eren will warm up soon enough."
"This doesn't feel good at all," Mina murmured uneasily.
"We can easily hide in the dungeons, can't we? This is just too insane, isn't it?" Nack made the suggestion as his dread of entering what was undoubtedly the embrace of death deepened.
"That's simply begging for us to be slaughtered by the tiny ones; we have to do this..." Gordon attempted to reassure them while his right hand continued to tremble.
He clenched it and focused on it, blocking out everything else.
"We have to,"
He felt a hand on his shoulder and leapt out of his skin before he realized it was Floch. The two boys nodded at each other as the redhead continued up the steps and stopped a few feet from the doors leading to the castle's roof.
He turned to face the crowd. "This is it; after what has just happened, we have no other choice. We push a bit further and this nightmare ends, and it all starts with Eren. Do not falter now; survival is within our grasp! As soon as he gives the signal, we will start our final push to the walls.
Mikasa, your team will take care of the right flank while mine takes care of the left, I'll personally mark the location for him. Work together, and actively call out threats! Get ready, and dedicate your hearts!" He spoke in hushed tone as the cadets steeled themselves.
The definite sound of thunder and the flashing light drew their attention as it shone through the crevices of the door. Floch surged forward and shoved them open as the last dozen of cadets ran outside. Bertholdt and Annie exchanged a fleeting glance before following the rest, all under Floch's watchful eyes. Eren's titan raged in the middle of the street as it proceeded to crush the gathering titans, sending a fourteen-meter flying into an office complex after slamming its jaw. The cadets surrounded it in awe and watched as Mikasa effortlessly dispatched one of them to cover him.
"Is that really him?" Sandra, who was unfamiliar with Eren's titan form, questioned in astonishment.
"Yes! Stay out of his way and defend him if necessary!" Floch yelled at everyone.
The redhead hurriedly dropped from the roof of the building beside the castle and landed close to where Marco and his group waited. Peeking through the windows, he saw Marco waving for him. He swiftly motioned for the boy to find cover as he turned to alert Eren.
"Eren! Smash this wall over here!" Floch shouted at him while marking the location with a burnt piece of wood.
Eren's titan turned around, menacingly eyeing the small redhead who motioned for it. Floch froze, his instincts suddenly screaming at him that something wasn't quite right. His brows furrowed as Eren steadily drew near with cold indifference, the redhead's concern growing. "What are you playing at, Eren?" Floch softly pondered as he withdrew a few steps out of reflex.
"What's happening?" Connie yelled to the others as they watched the two from above.
"I don't like this at all." Sandra reacted anxiously.
Much to everyone's horror, Eren charged forward and slammed his foot where Floch had been, demolishing the specified wall.
"FLOCH!" Gordon and Sandra both shrieked as a cloud of dust descended upon his area.
Mikasa hurriedly moved towards him as the cadets turned their blades on the titan. She landed on his shoulder and utilized his hair to enter the shifter's field of view. "EREN! You're attacking your own! Do you not recognize us? You need to bring that carriage to safety before we are overpowered, I'm Mikasa, your family, and these are our comrades." She pleaded with him to come to his senses, desperately trying to save the boy she knew from this monster's grasp.
"Look out, Mikasa!" Connie yelled.
Mikasa leapt backwards off the titan's chin at the last second as it smacked itself in the skull and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Much to their relief, the dust started to settle as Floch hobbled his way toward the fallen titan.
"Stay away from that thing!" Sandra bellowed.
Floch disregarded her and continued advancing towards Eren's head, drowning out the yelling in the background. To the dismay of the other cadets, he stopped by the shoulders to look at the steam coming from his face then climbed by the throat to stand face to face with it.
"S-shit! More are coming!" Nack called out.
While the remainder of the cadets stood watch over the vicinity of Eren and Floch, Mikasa, Gordon, Bertholdt, and a few others leaped to intercept the approaching group of titans. To his confusion, Marco discovered Eren unconscious as he emerged from the freshly-created exit. He swiftly turned on his heel and knelt down to clear some of the debris so that the carriage could pass, and Sasha, Daz, as well as a few others soon joined him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Floch asked derisively as he glanced down at Eren, ripping out the bandages around his face and discarding them. Steam began to rise into the air, and Floch was unimpressed by the titan's immobility, choosing instead to focus on assisting Eren in getting to his feet as he disregarded the conflict.
"More are approaching from the opposite end of the street!" A cadet yelled out as Floch's gaze snapped in that direction.
Nack cried out in fear, "What do we do?!"
Mylius flew in their way, shouting, "T-take their attention off of Eren and Floch!" while dodging the titans' strikes as they slapped at him nonstop.
Even with their efforts, the cadets gradually began to lose ground. The vapor coming from Eren's skull became more intense, as Floch had to shield his face and jump back down to the neck. Observing the conflict with a vigilant gaze before returning his focus on the titan beneath him.
"Have you truly given up so quickly? On our first battle as well? Remember, this isn't what we agreed on." Floch started. "Back then, you said we'd keep going, so I'll ask once more, Eren. What exactly do you think you are doing? Do you not hear the sacrifices being made for you by these people? Do you need to be ripped out of your nape so you can hear better?" Floch erupted near the end as he drove his sword down the titan's neck, tearing apart the boy's cheek as he sunk the blade deep into the flesh.
Floch crouched to his knees and stabbed the blade down once again after pulling it halfway. "Burning seas, ice-covered lands, never-ending salt lakes, and sand-covered snowfields. I understood that this was your dream, after all, Isn't it your desire to escape these walls and explore the outside world? Those shackles that bound you are gone now, you can see beyond this cage they've built around us, so stand up, stand up and bring ruin to our enemies, Eren!"
Nothing.
Floch grit his teeth in anger, pulling out his other blade and sending one last disappointed glance before jumping away to assist his comrades. He pushed against the pain in his body and sliced down a titan that threatened Sandra, before turning around to come to the aid of Nack and Mylius. 'Dammit, he's not waking up and there has to be at least a dozen of them surrounding us, this is bad, we'll just get picked off one after the other at this rate!' Floch panicked inwardly as he flew between the several titans.
He twisted his body around in the air as he barely dodged a lunge from one of the smaller titans before hooking onto it's nape and finishing it off, as he pulled away from there he couldn't help but momentarily freeze in shock witnissing yet another nightmare unfold.
Bertholdt landed back on the roofs next to Annie with a sweat, blood steaming from his blades and clothes. The two exchanged looks before glancing down at the downed titan Eren occupied. They heard a loud crash coupled with a scream to their right, gazing in that direction to find Mikasa down on the ground with both of her blades broken and a few titans creeping up on her.
"Mikasa!"
Both looked shocked for a second, neither believing that she had been taken down.
"Looks like we won't be needing Reiner after all." Bertholdt breathed out.
"Let's end this, grab him from the nape and let the titans deal with loose ends." Annie said before releasing the mechanism on her ring, revealing a tiny sharp blade.
Bertholdt was tempted to agree, having grown tired of dealing with all of this nonsense over the last few hours. Had his ears not abruptly caught a strange noise, he would have let her continue what she was doing. She was stopped from moving further as he quickly gripped her forearm after turning around on high alert to search the skies for confirmation.
Annie was perplexed as she regarded him questioningly.
"He's here, forget it, we're too late." Bertholdt's tone of voice was terrible.
"What are you?-" Annie asked, perplexed, before freezing in shock as a figure rocketed overhead and sped past them.
"Humanity's strongest soldier? I don't know, sounds like scout propaganda to me." Jean Kirstein dismissed as he leaned against the wall next to Floch.
Late at night in their barracks, Bertholdt, Reiner, Eren, Armin, Connie, Marco, Jean, and Floch were gathered around, telling stories and passing the time. And as usual, Eren felt offended by Jean's disrespectful comments as he gave a furious response.
"Anything sounds like propaganda when you've lived your entire life being a pampered brat!" He hissed.
"Oh shut it kid, I don't want to hear nothing from their biggest fangirl." Jean smirked.
"Calm down you guys, do we really have to do this every time?" Marco interjected with mild annoyance.
Eren glared at him lividly, though Armin held him back from doing anything rash. Jean scoffed, perching his elbow on Floch's shoulder. The redhead briefly glanced down at it with irritation but didn't comment.
Connie chuckled as he laid down on the edge of the bunkbed dangling his leg. "You know, I'll miss hearing you two argue and bicker like a married couple when we're off to the MP's.
"Speak for yourself, the sooner I'm out of this dump the better." Jean scoffed.
"It's not progaganda." Floch suddenly spoke gaining everyone's attention.
Bertholdt traced his gaze back to the redhead, intrigued by his comment as were the rest of them.
"Everything they say about him is true, he's a skilled fighter through and through, and no one comes close to what he's capable of. No matter how many titans you throw at him, he will win as long as he has fuel in his tank and something sharp in his hand. I met him in person a few weeks ago, the other soldiers don't dare to step out of line when he's around; he's the real deal."
Connie's look changed to one that was more serious while everyone else listened closely, Jean's eyes widened in astonishment. Floch turned to face Bertholdt and Reiner after taking his eyes off the ceiling.
"If titans ever have nightmares, they're all about Corporal Levi."
"We're going to explore the outside world someday, right?" - Armin Arlert 850 AD.
6:22 PM
After spending so many months performing what amounted to chores, essentially locked up in a cage, and unsure of what his future might hold in this life he had been forced into, he had nearly forgotten the hell that surrounded them. He didn't believe that the phrase "out of sight, out of mind" could ever apply to the threat posed by the titans, but the false feeling of serinity nearly made it so. Knowing there were actual people who lived in such utter ignorance left him with a terrible taste in his mouth.
This world had no tolerance for blissful ignorance.
Levi picked up pace as the landscape around him blurred into a jumble of colors and flipped one of his blades into a reverse hold before launching his grappling hooks at the horde of titans in front of the castle. He focused all of his energy on slicing the extended limbs of his targets as he locked onto them. The street was covered in blood and sliced flesh in a matter of seconds leaving the cadets standing around in awe, Levi drew back and landed on a nearby roof where he glanced curiously at the blades.
"Still fucking disgusting, tsk." He shook the extra blood off with a sneer.
One of the remaining cadets' shrieks drew his attention, he looked up just in time to see another set of titans approaching from the other end of the street, prompting the man to walk off the ledge and leap into the next fight.
"You're really going to make me work hard to chop you all up huh?" Levi taunted before dispatching them quickly.
"We're saved!" Nack laughed.
"Oh, thank God!" Mina exhaled heavily as she lay on the roof, sweaty and worn out from the skirmish.
"Hell yeah!" Connie cheered along the other cadets as more and more scouts began filling the area.
The cadets rejoiced seeing their reinforcements defeat the remaining titans around them, Floch and Ruth landed next to the group at about the same time as Gordon, who had been carrying a lightly-injured Mikasa on his back.
"Are you hurt?" Floch asked Ruth.
"I should be the one asking you that." Ruth replied, removing the makeshift fabric he tied around his palm and replacing it with an actual bandage. Despite his pain, he smiled at her in appreciation. Soon, a group of scouts gathered in front of them. Floch's eyes widened as he ran into Levi's team for a second time, alongside Jean and Armin who rushed to Mikasa's side frantically.
"Floch, I'm so glad you're still alive you little bastard!" Petra yelled as she knelt by his side and gave him a friendly hug.
Floch winced at the contact. "Barely."
"Still the same little grouch, huh? Despite the fact that you are taller now." Petra commented with a small smile.
"It's been a while, brat." Oluo smirked.
"It took you guys long enough." Floch nodded back at him.
"We apologize, It was the best we could do on such a short notice." Another voice could be heard behind the scouts.
Floch wasn't startled to hear Erwin's voice; after all, wherever the leader went, the troops would follow. Unsurprisingly, the presence of the man seemed to give the cadets around him even more reason to be relieved. Floch and Erwin locked gazes as he drowned out everything else. "Nice to meet you again, Commander." Floch said, his body beginning to give out.
"Likewise cadet, I was informed you were leading this group, Is this everyone?" Erwin questioned.
Floch shook his head. "There's more behind us by that hole in the wall, our other exit was blocked so we're trying to move a carriage full of wounded through It,"
"I see, you've done a good job, we'll take it from here." Erwin smiled reassuringly.
Floch sank to his knees and looked up at Erwin to give him more information as exhaustion swiftly overcame him. "No doubt... You've likely heard about Eren Yeager. He is the titan who's lying face up on the ground behind me. We were going to use his assistance to safely transfer the carriage back to the wall before we ran into some complications... He needs to get up and help seal the breach, If he remains unresponsive then carve up the nape and pull him out from there." Floch informed before he fell backwards, Petra and Ruth managed to catch him just in time.
"He's... the... only way... to save humanity," Floch managed to utter a few more words before losing consciousness.
"He's out cold," Petra murmured as she checked his pulse.
"He took a hell of a beating today." Connie commented as Gordon and Sandra looked at him with sadness.
"So it's true then, that titan over there is Eren Yeager?" Erwin questioned as he turned to observe it.
Gordon responded, "Yes, sir."
"Very well, setup a perimiter, I want personnel down by the street to assist the wounded. Everyone else clear out the remaining titans and stay sharp" Erwin ordered as the nearby squads moved to action.
"He mentioned a carriage, correct? Transporting that through these streets will be a real pain." Gunther spoke as Armin's ears perked up.
"We can get Eren to carry it to safety if we wake him up." Armin proposed.
Erwin gave a nod. "Good thinking, Arlert, we just need to figure out how to-" The man, like everyone else, paused suddenly, sensing an impending tremor.
"What in the world is that?!" Nack worriedly questioned.
Bertholdt and Annie exchanged looks, both fully aware of what was about to happen.
'Shit, Reiner went through with it before we could do anything.' Bertholdt thought to himself.
"Assume defensive positions and prepare your flare guns! Horde incoming! " Erwin yelled at his soldiers, fully recognizing the threat. "Find shelter back inside of the castle, we'll do our best to protect Yeager." Erwin ordered as some of the scouts escorted them to a safer location.
With a grimace on his face and his eyes fixed on Eren's titan, Armin raced to the edge of the roof and screamed out for him while summoning all of his strength. "Eren! Wake up! We need you! Mikasa, Floch, all of us! We're counting on you! Have you already forgotten about our dream? Have you given up on exploring the outside world? Eren!" Armin yelled before descending down and kneeling ontop of him to yell in his face.
"Do you hear me?! Why would you ever want to go there otherwise? Eren! We need you!"
'I haven't forgotten, I never could.'
Erwin kept watch. Still processing the scenario, he shot the titan a piercing glance. When he heard someone land behind them, he peered back out of the corner of his eye to see Mike with a serious expression on his face. "A dozen or more of them are making their way here. It's about to turn ugly." The commander nodded as he informed.
'Because I...'
The scouts formed a defensive position around Eren as Erwin withdrew both swords and both men prepared for the impending assault. The weary cadets were compelled to watch the approaching conflict from the windows anxiously, dreading the unthinkable. A couple of scouts came in and took Armin away, who was still screaming at him to wake up.
"It's getting close fast..." Ruth noted as the cadets huddled by the windows.
"Here they come!" A soldier shouted.
As he prepared to battle the titans, Levi scowled and threw away his used blades in favor of new spares. In an effort to obstruct their eyesight, the scouts around him started to flood the street with smoke from their flare guns. He charged forward, gripping both swords firmly as his hooks pierced the haze.
Armin and the others sensed another enormous presence nearby, Armin's eyes widened in awe when realization struck.
"That's..."
Levi prepared himself to strike the approaching group who reached out to grab him before he drew back his hooks, his eyes widening in alarm as he rushed off in a different direction, narrowly avoiding a titan charging from behind. To everyone's shock, Eren Yeager sprang up again and stormed head-on into the crowd, hurling some them backwards in the narrow street using his raw power and momentum.
Two more rushed at him before he brutally crushed them down, rendering them lifeless by the time the other titans recovered, he roared angrily up into the heavens and prepared himself with a single thought.
'I was born into this world.'
The capital Mitras
A feminine figure strode through the capital's dimly lit alleyways, her footsteps echoing out into the vacant streets. She crept down the door of a seedy bar, descending down the steps into the speakeasy, and gently pushed the door open. As the dense smoke and the smell of alcohol assailed her nostrils, she screwed her nose upward in distaste.
The blonde woman entered and was met by the sight of a lone male sitting on a stool being attended to by a bartender across the counter. She came to a halt behind the smoking man and cast a sidelong glance at the bartender; the elderly gentleman in question quietly turned around to leave and gave them privacy.
"I'm impressed, took ya a lot less to find me this time around." The man spoke, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air with his back turned.
"All I needed to do was to follow the stench." She replied. "We received an update on the investigation."
"Oh? And what do we have?"
The woman placed a folder in front of him.
"The authenticity of the claims on that letter have been confirmed by our informant as well as well as reports from the south. The town was invaded by the titans early this morning." The man's eyes widened in surprise, he swallowed another drink in one go, effectively masking his disbelief.
"And how is the Ehrmich probe going?"
"From the commander's visits in regards to that letter and the date it was sent, we narrowed down all potential suspects; all the information you require is in that folder. Names, occupations, addresses, and less than fifteen potential suspects are listed."
"Well, well, the panic of fools has led us to a gold mine; Erwin Smith has a number of interesting connections. We're going to schedule a lot of visits, so wrap up whatever it is you're doing and have the squads prepared. We'll be acting on this soon." He ordered.
"Yes, sir." She answered and walked out of the bar.
The man grinned broadly and delved into his pockets to pull out a scrawled letter, reading it over again.
Greetings commander, You don't know who I am but we've already met at the Ehrmich military hospital.
I have good reason to suspect that Trost will soon be the target of a titan attack. I ask that we privately meet to discuss the specifics, don't worry about getting in touch with me; I will get in contact with you upon your arrival. If you can, bring your entire regiment; this is a matter of life or death.
- A concerned patriot
The man put the letter in his pocket and took a final sip of his beverage before putting the cup down and chuckling heartily. He subsequently got up from his stool, adjusted his hat, and walked out the door.
"Heh, Let's figure ya out shall we?
Hello, I'm sorry about the massive delay since the last chapter I've been busy with work and moving houses (and I deleted the file to the original version of this chapter like a dumbass which killed my drive to rewrite it for a solid three weeks).
Thank you for the wait, see you again sooner than last time.
